AON

Marking off the cleat locations After having drawn it up, placed the bowsprit on the build and double checked the gammoning cleat locations to the gammoning holes (which I discovered were too short a slot for the minimum number of turns in the gammoning rope) I needed to mark the cleat locations along the circumference of the bowsprit. There are seven gammoning cleats in a set of two rows above and forward of the gammoning slots in the stem of the build, and five thumb cleats in a set of two rows abaft the jib boom saddle. they wrap around the bowsprit for 180° with the middle cleat of each row at 12:00 (straight up), and the last at 3:00 and 9:00. I needed to establish 12:00 (up) on the bowsprit, and marked at each cleat location along the top of the bowsprit with a pencil. To get the locations of all other cleats in a set correct I used strips of paper. The individual strips of paper were wrapped around the bowsprit and marked with a pencil to indicate where they overlapped themselves to get the circumference exact. The paper was cut at the mark, then folded in half to indicate 12:00 and then folded in quarters to indicate 3:00 and 9:00. Pencil marks were made at these locations. The gammoning strips, as there are seven in a set, needed to be further divided into three equal spaces between 3:00 and 12:00 and between 12:00 and 9:00. This was done with a scale, using 3/4" as it was greater than the spacing and is easily divide in three (1/4" - 1/2" - 3/4"). These marks were made and transposed to the cleat edge of the paper. The thumb cleats on this build are located abaft the jib boom saddle, not forward of it. They are also radially spaced differently, and to confuse things, sources do not agree. There are five in a set but in this build they are unequally spaced. One is at 12 o'clock, a set at 45° off that (1:30 and 10:30?), none at 3 or 9 o'clock, a set at 45° off of those points (4:30 and 7:30?), and none at 6 o'clock. The strip of paper was cut to the length of the circumference of the mast at the specific locations. It need to be divided into quarters, so one additional fold was made in each half, from halves to quarters, this created the equal spaces for the circumference at that cleat set location. I simply needed to remember which locations to skip... and should have marked it on the strips of paper! The strips of paper were wrapped and taped back onto the bowsprit and the sets of marks were transposed onto the mast. The last step was to mark the set back location for each of the gammoning cleats. As the bowsprit is set at 30° rising incline the cleats fall back on each side to accommodate the change in angle. First I drew lines from the forward set to the aft set and extended the line aft of that. I set the bowsprit at 30° and with a 90° flexible plastic square (made with any plastic sheet) I set one edge to the table, back to the mast, gently wrapped it around the mast and marked off the set back amount with a pencil. It was right about here that I knocked my jib boom saddle off... it was in two pieces so I had to make another .

Having determined the locations of the gammoning rope cleats on a drawing I needed to confirm the locations by fitting the bowsprit I had previously made and lining things up with a weighted string. The forward face of my cleats must be aligned with the forward end of the slots. Also, my cleats and woolding hoop locations at 3 and 9 o'clock needed to be forward of the knights head. I discovered that the gammoning slots I had made per the Admiralty drawings were incorrect in length. Luckily the aft most locations of the slots were okay. They need to be elongated forward almost twice the amount of their present length. I marked off the spots with a pencil, double and then triple checked it. I fretted over how to accomplish this for a couple days, and finally decided to use my new long narrow nosed X-Acto saw blade to cut these slots longer, and then clean up with my flexible Japanese micro files u Of course I had quadruple checked the locations just before starting... the feat was easier than I had imagined.

So ... sanding is boring work. thank goodness I have many diversions. Having added all the features to my bowsprit I will add to my build log... starting with an update to the drawing and document I posted earlier. I found a few corrections were in order. Here is the complete package $ bowsprit rigging doc pkg- rev3.pdf

Craig Thank you very much for the confirmation and links. Fasinating reading as I've spent some time now transcribing post relating to the convict hulk Captivity, formerly the Bellerophon. Life on board the hulk was quite terrible but dear Sarah Island must have been hell on earth.

Sherborne Mercury- 14 Sept 1829

More improvements? - 1829 Are these being built by transported convicts?

I have issue 1 through 4 of Volume 31 Issue 1 pg 22 - table of small cordage from 3/4 to 8 inch and blocks dated 1711 (John Davis) Issue 1 pgs 31 - 41 Table of Blocks for American warships (Table No. 3 pgs 18-22) USN Table of Allowances dated 1826 Issue 2 pgs 72 - 97 Continued table of blocks (Table No. 3 pgs 23 -35) USN Table of Allowances dated 1826 Issue 3 pgs 146 - 159 Continued (Table No.4 pgs 38 -46) USN Table of Allowances dated 1826 Issue 4 - nothing Is anyone interested in any of these? Am I allowed to scan and copy the single page 1711 table here... or the multiple pages of USN tables? It is not the detailed book requested.

a strange sailing regatta rule indeed - 1831

The perfect scam in 1831.

1829 - I'm trying to imagine this (Ssssssssssssssh! I'm hunting waskily wabbits)

okay, that's it for me. I will never drink another glass of water again. - 1828

Let's take a relaxing cruise... it'll be fun! - 1828

and once yet again... the more things change - 1828

Terrible accident at sea - no safety harnesses back then - real men didn't need them (I guess that rules me out) - 1828

quite possibly the same fellow!

A medical emergency - a google search proved it to be Yellow Fever - 1828 Once again, the more things change... the more they stay the same

A talley of the loss of American steam ships - 1834

I suppose nothing much became of this as I cannot find the fellow in a web search - 1832

and the King of France has a new barge - 1832

for anyone that reads this in the future, after looking at conventional models on the RMG website, and having found one 74gun 3rd rate English MOW date 1760 that I could see some detail of the fairlead, I had decided yesterday to go with nine holes, and use all but the top hole located at 12:00 for each of the lines that tie off at the forecastle timberheads. the top hole would be left empty, as a spare, and this would provide a wide clear walkway up and down the bowsprit. I've mapped out all the standing and running rigging for the bowsprit/jib boom, spritsail and spritsail top sail for my build and posted them as a PDF in my build dated yesterday, posts 1044 an 1046.

Thinking logically.... people need to walk out on the bowsprit, so lines through the fairlead cannot be a trip hazard, so maximum foot clearance space between them would be a plus. At 9 holes the space would be about 8 inches (203mm). At 7 holes the space would be about 10 inches (254mm) which is better What I was looking at was a 74gun 3rd rate MOW of 1760 and that model seemed to have nine (9) holes. My ship has eight timberheads with lines secured to them. These eight lines would be Nos. 1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10 on my list in my PDF word document above. If I go by this list, it leaves one hole in the fairlead unused, a spare... and I would assume this is located at 12:00 leaving a 16 inches (406mm) open walkway. I assume not all the holes would be used. Possibly the outer timberhead lines might not pass through the fairlead leaving more spares... or to be used by a couple other lines. Makes sense to me. Nine holes it is then. Yes Druxey, I am going down to the dungeon to start sanding again.

I spent a good part of the morning scouring the RMG site with model images zoomed in and then my screen zoomed in and my wife saw me with a magnifying glass... that sight must have been hilarious. I found one model that I could focus on and it seems to have nine (9) holes in the fairlead. I wish there were more images and sources on this item. With so few holes I imagine the outer most lines would be eliminated from passing through the fairlead. So I suppose I should review my list of possibilities.

Thank you Druxey, but with the accompanying word document it is much more than a nice illustration, it is a map. seven or nine holes? funny it should be an odd number. TFFM has seven, but others have even numbers up to twelve. none have rigging as few install sails Bowsprit + Jib Boom - Standing + Running rigging.pdf

Quick update... Still sanding off and on, and having a wonderful time of it. I've chiselled what I can, and hasped and flexible filed a bit more, then #80 sand paper, followed by finer grades, but it is very slow going. Finished my drawing of all the lines for the Bowsprit and Jib Boom, and created a MSWord doc for them all so I do not have to relearn it all in a few years when I get to this point, but for now, I have enough information to add my rope wooldings, rings, cleats and saddles to the bowsprit and jib boom I had made. It has been good exercise for the brain, I learnt quite a bit. I have posted a question in Masting and Rigging about the fairlead as it is the only item I am not 100% certain of. Some of the running rigging passes through holes in the fairlead to keep them organized and from getting fouled up. The problem is I have not found one source that states the number of holes or lines or what they all are. So this is one small but important detail to allow me to wrap that up. Bowsprit Rigging Layout.pdf

I am trying to verify the number of running rigging lines from the Bowsprit/Jib Boom yards and sails that pass through the fairlead located on the bowsprit of a English 74 gun Man of War launched in 1786. I have come to realize there were quite a number of changes (upgrades) in these ships during their life time and it has been a challenge when sources disagree due mainly to their date of reference. Referencing the following sources: Rees's Naval Architecture (1819-20), Steel's Rigging Tables (1799), The Anatomy of Nelson's Ship's, The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War (1625-1860), The Fully Framed Model (including the 3D renderings by Dennis Ranaric of Croatia for Admiralty Models), and the Rigging of Period Ships, I have narrowed it down to the twelve lines of which only two are clearly stated in Rees's to have done so. Lines identified as possibly feeding through the Bowsprit Fairlead: 1. Jib Staysail (In) Down Hauler (1); 7/8" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #6 2. Jib Staysail Out Hauler (1); 1-1/4" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #5 3. Fore Topmast Staysail Down Hauler (1); 7/8" dia.; secures at *Forecastle Timberhead #3 ? 4. Fore Staysail Down Hauler (1); 7/8" dia.; secures at *Forecastle Timberhead #4 ? 5. Spritsail Topsail Yard Halyard (1); 7/8" dia.; belays to a rack over the bowsprit (REES pg 92) 6. Spritsail Yard Halyard (1); 1" dia.; 7. Spritsail Topsail Lift/Sheet (1 - port); 7/8" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #1 8. Spritsail Topsail Lift/Sheet (1 - starboard); 7/8" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #8 9. Spritsail Lift (1 - port); 1" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #2 10. Spritsail Lift (1 - starboard); 1" dia.; secures at Forecastle Timberhead #7 11. Spritsail Topsail Clew Line (1 - port); 5/8" dia.; 12. Spritsail Topsail Clew Line (1 - starboard); 5/8" dia.; *Forecastle Timberhead locations 3 and 4 available as listed for Flying Jib Out/In Haulers I was hoping someone in the forum may have "hoed this row" and so might be able to help confirm my list as I have seen builds with eight, ten, and twelve holes, but no source I've found adequately describes the fairlead nor the rigging lines that utilize it to keep those lines from fouling. Thank you in advance.